Hiding medication
Medicines must only be hidden from or made inaccessible to a service user following a mental capacity assessment and a 'best interest' meeting with people who know and understand the service user, to decide whether hiding the service users' medication is in the best interest of the service user. This could include family members/representative, social worker, home care provider, advocates, or health care professional, etc.
All agreements must be documented on the support plan and risk assessment signed by all parties.
Once this decision has been agreed, lockable/coded boxes may need to be obtained by the service user's family, carer or representative and be used for the storage of the medication.
If a decision is made for medication to be hidden or made inaccessible for the service user, staff must be made aware, through training and supervision, of what this means and why and how the medication is to be stored.
It must be remembered that the service user's capacity can change so regular reviews are needed.
Further guidance
Managing medicines for adults receiving social care in the community | Guidance | NICE